Electric cut-out



R. DIEDERYER" ELECTRIC CUT-OUT Filed Aug. 17, 1921 Patented June 9, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD DEDERER, OF SINDELFINGEN, WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM LUTTGEN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC CUT-OUT.

Application filed Augustl'i, 1921. Serial No. 493,174.

T 0 all whom, it may concern:

' Be it known that I, RICHARD DEDERER, a citizen of Germany, residing at Sindelfingen, lVurttembei-g, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Cut-Outs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to thermal cut outs. More specifically it relates to fuses and has for one of its principal objects to provide means called into action upon blowing or rupture of the fusible element for indicating that the fuse has blown.-

Another object is to provide a device of the class above mentioned in which the indications of abnormalcy are visible at night, though the artificial illumination be poor or artificial illumination, other than that provided by the device, totally absent.

A further object is to provide a fuse of the type described in which access for the purpose of repair or renewal is facilitated. Further objects and advantages will appear as the invention is hereinafter disclosed.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate what I now consider a preferred physical embodiment of the invention Fig. 1 is a section taken substantially through the axis of a fuse plug embodying one form of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal section taken substantially at right angles to the plane of the section shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the device with certain parts removed.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the complete device- Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating the parts in the position they assume upon rupture of the fusible element.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail section of a part of the structure shown in Fig. 2 but illustrating a slight modification.

While the invention may assume a variety of other forms, the device shown in the drawings possesses such marked advantages that I have selected it for the purpose of illustration and disclosure. This form of device may be constructed substantially as follows:

A body portion a, of porcelain or other suitable insulating ,material, carries at its periphery the usual shell contact or threaded ring I), and at its lower end a center contact e, cemented or otherwise suitably setrically connected to the terminal 6. The

fusible element d is shown extending from the terminal e through a channel 11, provided in the body portion a, thence throu h.

notches j, thence to the upper end of t e strip 72.. The strip it extends thro h a channel or bore k provided in the y portion. It will be noted that access to the channels vi and k is readily had from the upper or outer end of the body portion.

The body rtion w is also provided with a recast m, s ownsubstantially rectangular in shape, and adapted to receive a portion of the indicating means. The latter comprises a substantially Z-shaped strip or plate 10 and a substantially U-shaped spring member 11 engaging at one of its ends the upper part of the intermediate leg of the 2. It will be noted that the last mentioned leg of the U is angled over to form a seat for that portion of the fusible element d which extends from one of the notches j, j to the other. The design and connections are'suoh that when' the fuse is in normal condition the member 0 is held, by the fusible element d, in the position shown in Fig;

2. When the fuse blows or the link (I ruptures due to any cause the U-shaped member 11, by virtue of its inherent resiliency, automatically causes the parts to assume the position shown in Fig. 5. The upper member n, by virtue of the two different positions it occupies, may therefore be employed as a device to indioatenormalcy or abnormalcy in the condition of the fuse.

In order to make the different indications highly distinctive and readily readable I prefer to employ an indicating means of the changeable exhibitor type. I therefore provide the cover plate f, which is cemented. or otherwise secured to the body portion a, with a sight opening 9 through which the target n: is visible in one position of the latter and invisible in the other. In the partioida-r arrangement illustrated th tar- Lil phorescent lutrninous paint and, if desirable, backing up this coating with an asbestos shield or disc :0 (see Fig. 6); the sight-opening or window 9 being uncoated and therefore transparent. Preferably the upper or outer face of the target a is pre vided with a coating of luminous paint which may be similar to that applied to the glass cover plate 7.

The operation of the device disclosed above will now be clear to those skilled in the art. It may be summarized as follows:

When the fuse is normal the parts will occupy the position illustrated in Fig. 2 and the field 7 will present the appearance of an unbroken disc of comparatively light color whether viewed in strong or weak light. l/Vhen the element a? blows or ruptures, due to excess current or any other cause, the parts assume the position shown in Fig. 5. The target a is then out of the line of vision through the sight-opening g and the latter appears as a dark spot on a light background. Therefore, when any one of a group of fuses embodying my invention has blown, it may be readily located in view of its appearance, i. e., a dark spot upon a light field as distinguished from an unbroken light field.

It will be noted that the plate f serves also as a cover for channels 2' and it and the recess m. By removing the glass cover 7' access to the fuse interior may be had for the purpose of repair or renewal after a fuse link has blown. The cost of repairs or renewals is therefore low and a considerable saving in material is effected. In order to facilitate checking, the glass f or its asbestos backing member (if one is provided) may bear a serial number. Obviously if the backing a: bears the serial number a suitable sight opening therefor would be provided in the paint on the glass f.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have herein described the principle of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiments thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus disclosed is only illustrative and that the invention may be carried out by other means and applied to other forms of fuses. Also while it is designed to use the various features and elements in the combinations and relations described, some of these may be altered and others omitted, within the scope of the appended claims, without interfering with the more general results and effects outlined and the invention extends to such use.

What I claim is- 1. A fuse plug comprising in combination, a body portion provided with a terminal at one end and a side terminal, said body portion having fuse receiving channels accessible from the outer end of said body portion and terminating at corresponding ones of said terminals, a fuse link extending through said channels and electrically con nected to said terminals, indicating means within said body portion and controlled by said link, said indicating means being accessible from the outer end of said body portion, and a closure for the outer end of said body portion.

2. A fuse comprising in combination, a body portion provided with a sight opening, an indicator mounted within said body portion for movement across said sight opening, a pair of stationary current-conducting elements carried by said body portion, a fuse link anchored at its opposite ends to said elements, and means controlled by rupture of said fuse link for moving said indicator.

3. A fuse comprising in combination, a body portion provided with a sight opening, an indicator mounted within said body portion for movement across said sight opening, a light-emitting substance carried by said indicator, a pair of stationary currentconducting elements carried by said body portion, a fuse link anchored at its opposite ends to said elements, and'means controlled by rupture of said fuse link for moving said indicator.

4. A fuse comprising in combination, a body portion provided with a sight opening, an indicator mounted within said body portion for movement across said sight opening, a pair of current-conducting terminals carried by said body portion, resilient means .for actuating said indicator, and means comprising a fuse link for conveying current from one of said terminals to the other without causing current to flow through said resilient means, said resilient means being controlled by said fuse link.

A fuse comprising in combination. a body portion and fuse link carried thereby, an indicator, a leaf spring mounted in said body portion and adapted when released to operate said indicator, said spring being normally held in flexed condition by said fuse link, and means for conveying current to and from said fuse link without causing it to flow through said spring.

6. A fuse comprising in combination, a body portion and fuse link carried thereby,

an indicator, a leaf sprin mounted in said Ybody portion and adapte when released to link without causing it to flow through said I spring.

7. A fuse plug comprising in combination, a body portion having a recess accessible from the outer end of said plug, an indicating device and spring for .moving the same mounted in said recess, and a fuse link havin a portion extending across said recess a 'acent the outer end of the plug and normally opposing the action of said spring.

tion, a body portion having a recess accessible from the outer end of said plug, a nor mally substantially Z-shaped indicating device and normally substantially U-shaped spring for moving the same mounted in said recess, and a fuse link extending across said recess and normally opposing the action of said spring.

In testimony whereof I hereto aflix my signature.

RICHARD DEDERER, [11. s.] Witnessesf VIKTOR BENDER, [L.s.] M. W. ALTAFFER. [11.5.] 

